


Dimension Travelers RWBY: Reverse/Rebirth

by PikachuWhovian



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst and Humor, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Multiple Crossovers, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:34:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28150239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PikachuWhovian/pseuds/PikachuWhovian
Summary: Ruby Rose was a child prodigy. Weapons and technology revealed their secrets to her as easily as she breathed. She could even make them do things that were supposed to be impossible.Yang Xiao Long only had two desires in her life: To keep Ruby safe and to find her birth mother. How can she do either when her own mind is against her?Blake Belladonna thought she was a coward. Her shadow clones certainly seemed to think so.Weiss Schnee always felt out of step with the rest of society. Something was terribly wrong, she knew that much. She just didn't know what.The Fate of this Remnant was already altered. But Fate is a cruel mistress and such changes to her Grand Design will not be without consequence. Fortunately, these four girls do not have to fight alone. Alongside their friends and a stranger neither human or faunus, Team RWBY-D will fight to save the world.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 3





	1. Red Like Roses

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic on AO3, but I've posted this fic and others on Fanfiction and Fimfiction. Pen names psychicshipping and The Dimension Traveler respectively. 
> 
> This is just something I'm writing because the plot bunnies demand it. The general idea is to take bits and pieces from the first season of RWBY and run with them as far as I can while mixing in some ideas I hope are cool. 
> 
> This fic is part of my larger 'Dimension Traveler' series, but I warn you that I started the series when I was 10, with the grammar and spelling that entails. If I'm doing my job right, this fic works 100% standalone with maybe a tiny bit about my OC left unexplained. 
> 
> Expect updates to be infrequent. I have other fics currently taking up the bulk of my attention.
> 
> I think that's the important bits, so I hope you enjoy 'Dimension Travelers RWBY: Reverse/Rebirth'!

Dimension Travelers RWBY

Ruby’s POV

Things got pretty wild for a while there, but I’m told that’s to be expected when David gets in the mix. I can’t say it hasn’t been fun, but also kinda scary. But I made it to the end and now I get to go on even grander adventures and see all kinds of new weapons all across the multiverse! I’m getting ahead of myself. It all started when I wanted to give Crescent Rose a live combat trial.

_______________________________________________________________________

I had just finished my latest modifications to Crescent Rose. Uncle Qrow may or may not have tipped me off to a potential burglary so I could test them out. The modification in question? I had reforged Crescent Rose’s blade with the ability to shatter aura much easier. At the time, neither Uncle Qrow nor I knew how I had managed it, just that it made sense in my head when I forged it.

This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence over the course of my life. To this day, even if I know how my technomancy works, it can still confuse me sometimes. Ever since I could remember, I’ve been able to look at weapons or machinery or the like and know how they tick and sometimes even get insight on how to improve them. Even if those improvements sometimes broke the laws of physics as we knew them at the time. Because of this, I had become something of living legend. I remember Atlas’ army had tried to recruit me at a young age, but Dad and Uncle Qrow had put their foot down. I did still help create things for them at home, but I wasn’t inducted into the army. Sometimes I wonder how things would have turned out had I not supplied hardware to Atlas…

As I grew up, my fascination with weapons and mechanical things led me to a profession where I’d be around those things all the time: being a Huntress. I may have also been a little bit inspired by Yang wanting to be a Huntress too. Still, no other job would let me meet all the weapons people make like being a Huntress. Yang and especially Dad were against it at first, but thankfully Uncle Qrow talked them around. Given everything that would happen and that Dad had lost Summer, my mom, maybe I should have been more understanding?

Anyway, I was 15 and attending Signal Academy at the time. Uncle Qrow was a teacher there and also the one who helped me build what would eventually become Crescent Rose and taught me to fight with it. Oh! I should probably describe Crescent Rose.

The original concept was a scythe/gun combo not unlike Uncle Qrow uses. The first changes were the design of the chine and making my blade extend a little bit behind the handle as well. I also knew I’d rather have a semi-long range option as opposed to Uncle Qrow who doubles down on close range with his shotgun attachment. So I modified the barrel into a DMR. I considered making it a true sniper rifle, but as I learned my own battle style and came into my Semblance, it became clear that something with that much kick would be impractical. Since creating the basic design, I’d been tweaking it here and there over the years. Better muzzle velocity, easier removal and maintenance of the chine, amplification of Dust infused bullets, things like that. Crescent Rose was and still is my baby. She’s served me well over the years.

As I said, Uncle Qrow kinda told me a robbery might be going down at a Dust store in Vale called From Dust Till Dawn. I will always maintain that it’s a cute name, no matter how much Blake complains that I only think that because Yang’s sense of humor has corrupted me. It’s clearly because David’s sense of humor has corrupted me.

Right, I should be focusing on the story, sorry. It’s weird to be narrating your own life and trying to decide what’s important, what isn’t, and all the random tangents you go off on. I think I have a newfound respect for autobiography writers.

Anyway, I was running low on Fire Dust at the time, so it was pretty convenient for me to swing by, buy my Dust, and loiter around for a bit until Torchwick and his goons tried to rob the place. Of course, I didn’t know who Torchwick was at the time or that he had ambitions beyond selling the Dust on the black market, but that all came later. The creeps entered the store and held the shopkeeper at gunpoint and my heart was beating wildly. This was it, my chance to test one of my creations in the real world for myself! I’d show Yang and Dad that I did deserve to be a Huntress!

I would later realize that attempting to stop a robbery in progress with no backup of any kind was childish and foolhardy, no matter how well Uncle Qrow had taught me to fight. It was even more childish and foolhardy to announce my presence before the fight. 15 year old me was nowhere near strong enough to think I could get away with just tossing an advantage like that out the window, yet think it I did. David likes to call me an idiot savant and looking back at some of my decisions, I can’t exactly argue with him.

“Hey, leave the old man alone!” I shouted, leveling Crescent Rose at the criminals.

“What’s a Huntress doin’ here?!” One of the goons exclaimed in fear.

“You idiot!” Torchwick snapped, “Look at her, she’s a child. Take care of her while I finish acquiring the Dust.”

The goons broke off from Torchwick and advanced on me. Before they could surround me, I sprang forward, catching one of them in the crook of my blade and flung him out the window. With that opening, I followed the grunt out the window. It was better fighting them outside than run the risk of setting off any of the Dust and the more open space was complementary to my fighting style anyway.

I am pleased to report my anti-aura upgrade to Crescent Rose worked as intended. A few strikes and all the grunts were on the ground, some bleeding more than others, but none in critical condition. Learning how much punishment people could take with that particular upgrade had been something of a challenge, but it ended up paying off in a big way. At the time I decided to just keep a separate chine for when I didn’t want to use the anti-aura function, but that would eventually become very inefficient. For the moment, I was overjoyed with my success.

“Good help is so hard to find these days,” I looked to the door of the store and saw Torchwick carrying a briefcase and sneering at me. He lifted that cane of his at me and I realized a moment too late it was actually a weapon. Thankfully my aura protected me from any real damage, but it dazed me long enough for Torchwick to be halfway up a ladder by the time my vision cleared.

I could have probably ended it there. I had what I wanted, a successful live test of my new modification. Some would probably argue I should have waited for the police or one of the local Huntsmen to show up and maybe catch Torchwick. Like the child I was, I had been riding the badass action hero high and naturally gave chase. Unsurprisingly, Torchwick had been trying to escape to a getaway vehicle, a Bullhead. I got to the roof just as he was climbing inside.

“End of the line, Red!” He shouted and hurled a fire Dust crystal at my feet. It was an effective flash bang, but I wasn’t the only one prowling the streets that night. When my vision cleared, a Huntress stood in front of me. She immediately went on the offensive, using her Semblance to pick up small stones and debris from the rooftops and hurl them and great speed at the Bullhead. Then, using ice and lightning Dust, created a hailstorm to try and bring down the Bullhead.

Torchwick slipped into the cockpit of the Bullhead and what looked like a young woman stepped out. I say looked like because at the time she was shrouded in shadow and I could only see her legs and Dust infused in her dress glowing slightly. Cinder used her fire based Semblance and her Maiden powers to plant some proximity mines at Goodwitch’s feet. She dodged and then captured the rubble of the rooftop in her Semblance and sent it flying at the Bullhead. I was deeply impressed by her fine control, but then Cinder was able to incinerate the rubble.

I tried to provide backup with Crescent Rose’s DMR, but Cinder seemingly blocked my shots with her bare hands. I still haven’t convinced Cinder to tell me how she managed that trick. Anyway, I was about to swap to some Dust enhanced bullets when Cinder set a chain eruption under Goodwitch and I. We were able to dodge out of the way, but it was the opening Torchwick and Cinder needed to escape with the Dust in tow.

Goodwitch leveled a glare at me, but I was impervious to such things! I was looking at a real live Huntress! Sure, Uncle Qrow is a Huntsman, but family just isn’t the same, you know? So I did my stereotype proud.

“Can I have your autograph?!” I begged with such naiveté in my heart. Goodwitch’s glare intensified.

“Follow me,” She ordered and I saw no reason to disobey. That’s how I wound up with a criminal record.

_________________________________________________________________________

“I’m sorry! Don’t tell my Dad and Yang!” I pleaded. I was sure they’d never let me out of the house again if they heard I had a criminal record. They both babied me enough as it was, I might have lost it if they smothered me any more than that.

“That, Ms. Xiao Long, has yet to be determined,” Goodwitch informed me.

“Uh, it’s Rose, actually,” I corrected and Goodwitch studied me.

“Not according to the documentation it isn’t. I’d think I’d remember the last name of one of the most gifted inventors of the modern day. Rose was your mother’s maiden name, wasn’t it? You’re the daughter of Taiyang Xiao Long, correct?” Goodwitch asked.

“I am…” I trailed off. This had always been a thorny subject for me. Dad and Yang wanted me to carry on the Xiao Long name. They were never demanding about it, but they had made their preference clear. It wasn’t like I was _opposed_ to using the Xiao Long name. That was the name that appeared on all my patents, after all. As much as they might frustrate me, I did and always will love Dad and Yang. Even if Yang still hasn’t fully forgiven Dad for what he did and didn’t do. It was simply that I wanted to keep my mother’s memory alive in some small way. So when I was about 9, I told everyone I wanted to be known as Ruby Rose and didn’t look back until…well, that’s something for a little later.

“Regardless of what you choose to call yourself; your actions tonight were reckless, endangering yourself and others. You could have been killed, you could have gotten the shopkeeper killed, and you could have set off all the Dust in that store! Instead of going to the police or a Huntsman with the tipoff about the robbery, you decided to handle it alone! Not that I expected anything else from Qrow, but I would have thought he’d at least care enough about his niece to-”

“Uncle Qrow knows what I’m capable of! He wouldn’t have told me if he didn’t think I could handle myself! He cares enough about me to let me test my limits and make my own mistakes!” I shouted angrily. Goodwitch gazed at me with something unreadable in her eyes.

“Whether you leave here tonight with a criminal record is not up for debate. Vigilantism is against the law. However, there is someone willing to make you an offer that would see your criminal record…buried,” With that ominous introduction, Ozpin entered the room with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.

“Ruby…Rose,” He said my last name after a pause. He must have overheard my conversation with Goodwitch, “You have…silver eyes.” Oh boy did I have silver eyes. Of course I didn’t realize what that meant at the time and Ozpin, the manipulative prick, didn’t bother to explain why he found my eyes worthy of comment. Ozpin keeping secrets would become a running theme later on and let me tell you, it was very frustrating to know your life was in danger because someone was keeping secrets.

“So, where did you learn to do this?” He motioned to a scroll Goodwitch was holding that was playing security footage from my fight with the goons, “Unless I miss my guess, your uncle has taught you personally.” Ozpin said like he hadn’t kept tabs on me my whole life for being a Silver Eyed Warrior.

“Yeah, he taught me just about everything I know. I’m studying at Signal, the school he teaches at,” I answered.

“Qrow always did have a thing for that scythe of his. But you, that scythe you swung around tonight was no ordinary weapon. Unless I miss my guess, it was able to break these people’s aura with little to no extra effort. I daresay that makes your weapon one of the most dangerous ever designed. Not that I would expect any less from a genius such as yourself,” Ozpin complimented. He was really laying it on a bit thick. Unfortunately, I fell for his flattery.

“I mean, I’ve put years and years into Crescent Rose. I love my scythe more than life itself! Of course I’d put my best work into it!” I boasted proudly. Ozpin finally set the plate of cookies before me and I attacked with my usual hunger for best food.

“So how is that dusty old bird these days?” Ozpin asked. Oh how naive I was at the time to think Ozpin was merely poking fun at the way my uncle’s name was pronounced.

“He’s the best teacher I could have asked for!” I praised, “He’s been training me since I was pretty young but he’s always let me figure out what style was best for me!”

“So what’s a girl like you doing studying to become a Huntress? Surely someone of your talent could be running a multi-million Lien research and design company with no issue. Certainly a much safer occupation,” Ozpin remarked. I would later learn Ozpin has a thing about giving people the illusion of choice. Maybe because those he takes over for reincarnations don’t have a choice at all? I think this was him offering me an out by suggesting I become a researcher in a lab.

“Being a Huntress won’t stop me from inventing. I just think I can do some good while enjoying something I love. I can fight monsters and protect people while studying the weapons everyone else makes for themselves. Sure, I could just stay cooped up in a lab all day, but I want to live! Does that make sense?” I asked.

“More than you realize,” Ozpin replied with a faraway look in his eyes.

“So in two more years I’ll be done with Signal and then hopefully move on to Beacon. My sister, Yang, is starting there this year,” I rambled a bit.

“Do you know who I am?” He asked.

“You’re Headmaster Ozpin, the guy in charge of Beacon,” I answered readily.

“And you want to come to my school?” He questioned.

“More than anything,” I replied with an eagerness I no longer feel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I went to Beacon and met my wonderful friends. I just wish I knew what I was getting myself into at the time.

“Miss Goodwitch already mentioned an offer. I think you’ll find it very agreeable…” And that’s how I found myself on an airship with Yang headed to my first day of Beacon.

_____________________________________________________________________

“I can’t believe you got advanced two whole years! That’s my genius baby sister for you!” Yang had been going on about it since she found out yesterday. True to his word, Ozpin had covered up the actual reason I had been at the From Dust Till Dawn with Crescent Rose ready to go. No one would think it too strange if I, self proclaimed weapons nut, just so happened to be carrying around my newly upgraded weapon when the store I just so happened to be shopping at got robbed. Crazy coincidences happen every day, right? I wonder if Ironwood helped sweep it under the rug? Seems like something he’d be able to do and as far as I know he was absolutely loyal to Ozpin at the time.

“It was nothing, just me getting a little lucky,” I lied.

“What are you talking about?! I saw the fight footage! Everyone at Beacon is gonna think you’re the bee’s knees!” Yang squealed.

“Really, I just want to observe everyone’s weapons and build in peace. I don’t want to draw any more attention than I already do,” I grumbled. As much as I enjoyed having an adoring public as much as the next person, as an introvert, I preferred a few degrees of separation from people, especially large crowds. I’ve gotten better about handling it over the years, but some things don’t change.

“Too late for that, Rubes, getting bumped ahead two years is gonna get people to be interested, regardless of who you are or the reasons you got advanced,” Yang pointed out.

Just then a news report came on one of the holographic screens. That’s when I heard Torchwick’s name for the first time. To the shock of no one, the man already had a criminal record thicker than some novels. The news also started to cover a Faunus protest gone violent when Goodwitch shut it off to make an announcement.

“Hello and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glenda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. The world is a dangers place and we need Huntsman and Huntresses to help protect the citizenry. You are the future Huntsman and Huntresses. Such an occupation will require courage and skill. It will be our duty at Beacon to refine what you have already learned in your combat schools and help you blossom into the Huntsman and Huntresses you are destined to become,” With that speech finished, the hologram faded.

Out the window, I spotted Signal, my old school. I could almost see Uncle Qrow preparing to greet the latest batch of students. I could almost hear the voices of my friends I was leaving behind. It was definitely a bittersweet feeling. Over the course of my time at Signal, I had only managed to make two real friends. Calista and Mimi… I had hopes of them joining me in Beacon in two year’s time and I would be able to show them the ropes and get to play the cool upperclassman and we could all laugh at my pretentious act. That never happened, obviously. It still breaks my heart to think of what happened to them.

My thoughts were interrupted by a boy who was clearly having some pretty bad motion sickness groaning in misery. Thankfully, before he could toss his cookies, another boy walked up to him and had him take something. A few moments later and the blonde boy looked to be right as rain. I admit I was curious as to how anyone could cure motion sickness that fast, but I put that on hold as Beacon came into view and our airship started to make preparations for docking.

A few minutes later and Yang and I were taking our first steps at Beacon Academy. It was amazing, seeing all those students with all those unique and interesting weapons. I felt that this was exactly why I had chosen to become a Huntress in the first place. I admit I went full geek mode.

“Relax, sis, they’re just weapons,” Yang said patronizingly. She knew full well how much that line annoyed me.

“I guess I won’t upgrade your Ember Celica anymore, it is just a weapon, after all,” I said haughtily.

“Wait! No! I’m sorry Ruby! Anything but that!” Yang begged.

“Well, I guess I could be merciful today. It is our first day as students at Beacon, after all,” I said with a smirk.

“Alright, well now that that’s settled, why don’t you go meet some of the owners of those weapons? Try and make a few friends?” Yang suggested.

“Why would I need to make friends when I have you?” I asked blankly.

“Ruby, you can’t cling to me like that. I have my friends and you should have yours. I worry about you, especially about things like this. Please, at least try?” Yang requested.

“I...guess…I can try,” I admitted defeat. I didn’t intend to try very hard, but I would at least try.

“Good, now I’m sure you don’t want your stuffy older sister cramping your style and I see my friends, so talk to you later!” Yang left before I could get another word in edgewise. Like a prisoner on death row, I turned lifelessly to what I thought was my execution. I immediately crashed into Weiss’ luggage trolley, sending the suitcases of Dust scattering on the ground.

“Watch where you’re going! Are you completely braindead?! You could have set off all this Dust and killed someone!” Weiss picked up a case and started to inspect the contents for damage, “Honestly, what kind of idiot doesn’t even look where they’re going?! What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Uh, some of the Dust is leaking?” I pointed at one of the bottles Weiss had picked up while yelling at me.

“Dang it!” It shouldn’t have, but it did and still does amuse me that Weiss swears like a little kid. I know these days she’s absolutely capable of swearing with the most drunken sailors, but I think back then she was physically incapable of saying anything worse than ‘poop head’.

“I’m sorry. Do you want my help cleaning up?” I asked hesitantly.

“NO! You’ve caused quite enough damage!” Weiss sneered, “What’s a child like you even doing here? There’s no way you’re old enough to be at Beacon. Unbelievable, not only are you a clumsy clod, but you’re not even supposed to be here!”

“I already said I’m sorry, Princess!” I was getting upset at being yelled at.

“Heiress, actually,” Blake corrected as she walked into our argument like she had been a part of it all along, “Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. What’s a spoiled rich girl like you doing in a place like this? Tired of being waited on hand and foot by your Faunus _slaves_?”

“They are not slaves! We pay them same as any other employee!” Weiss protested.

“OK, I believe you,” Blake’s body language betrayed how truthful her words were.

“I don’t have to stand here and take this!” With that Weiss stormed off.

“Sorry again about the Dust, I’ll make it up to you!” I called after Weiss’ retreating form, “What a way to start my first day…So, what-” then I noticed Blake was walking away too. I admit I felt a bit defeated. My first interaction with new people in a new school had gone horribly and I was sure it was a portent of the future. Fortunately, I was proven wrong very quickly.

“You’re looking a bit down, kiddo. Wanna talk about it?” I looked to see the two boys from the airship.

“Hi, I’m Jaune,” The blonde one introduced himself.

“I’m David,” The raven haired boy greeted.

“Ruby,” I replied.

“ _The_ Ruby Xiao Long?” Jaune asked in surprise.

“Yes, but please call me Ruby Rose,” I requested.

“Uh, sure,” Jaune readily agreed.

“So, Miss Rose, tell us what weighs upon you,” David requested.

“It’s nothing, it’s silly,” I tried to brush it off.

“That look on your face didn’t look silly,” Jaune noted.

“My sister wants me to make friends and so far all I’ve managed is to spill some Dust and start a racially charged argument,” I groaned.

“Sounds rough,” David said sympathetically.

“I just want to look at people’s weapons and invent in peace, but I promised my sister so here I am,” I sighed.

“Does your sister attend Beacon? You’re a little young to be here otherwise,” Jaune wondered.

“I skipped two years, so I’m now in the same freshman class as her,” I explained.

“That’s impressive,” Jaune said appreciatively.

“Yeah, and I owe it all to this!” I pulled out Crescent Rose and had it fold out into its full scythe form.

“I had heard your personal weapon was a scythe, but to see it in person is pretty impressive,” Jaune complimented. David, on the other hand, was content to just look Crescent Rose over with a look I had seen before on my own face.

“Does it fold into a war scythe as well?” He eventually asked. I showed off the feature to him and he looked appreciative, “Sniper rifle or DMR?” Almost _no one_ asked me that question.

“Fully automatic DMR that I can pump action to infuse extra Dust into the bullets,” I answered proudly.

“How do you handle recoil? You look strong, but not _that_ strong,” David inquired.

“I use a gravity Dust injection to kinda…eat the recoil? I’m not sure how to explain it. I can turn it off and let the recoil propel me around a fight too,” I explained, “So, what have you two got?”

“Uh, I’ve got this sword,” Jaune unsheathed his blade, “And a shield too,” It was one of those collapsible models that served as both sheath and shield. Fairly standard, but useful too. I assumed he must have just gotten it because he fumbled with it as it opened and closed randomly. A quick look at his sword with my special talent and to my surprise I saw it was positively ancient. As an inventor on the cutting edge, seeing a basic sword like that almost offended my sensibilities. However, I couldn’t deny the craftsmanship of a sword that’s been in use for over a hundred years and still in one piece. Much to my dismay, Jaune still hasn’t let me upgrade it, no matter how much I pout at him.

“As for me, I have more weapons than I know what to do with. But I do have one tried and true, my very first weapon,” With those words, a strange weapon suddenly appeared in his hands! It had black and purple seemingly clashing along its blade, but it had some kind of heart-like symbol sticking out the side of the blade. It had a red outline and a single red, jagged line across a black interior. The weapon also had a hand guard that again looked like a black outline of a heart. Finally at the end was what looked to be a keychain in the shape of a black Penrose Triangle.

“WHAT?!” Jaune and I shouted for different reasons. The weapon looked pretty cool and it had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, but that wasn’t what grabbed my attention.

“What is that thing? It’s there and not there? Metal but not metal? I’ve never seen anything like it!” My talent was going wild trying to make sense of what I was seeing. It was like staring at a contradiction of everything I had ever known about physics and the way the world worked. Sure, I had made things that had no explanation as far as our current understanding of physics went, but this weapon was like that multiplied by a hundred in my sight. It would be a long time yet before I was able to nail down the properties of a Keyblade and start copying some of their attributes, but the satisfaction when I finally did it was well worth it.

David, for his part, seemed just as surprised as I was. Looking back, it’s almost hard to believe how much of the world around me had been hidden, just slightly out of sight. I had briefly pulled back the curtain once or twice, but thanks to seeing a Keyblade for the first time and later on David’s tutelage, the curtain was torn down and set on fire.

“When did you make that? How did you make that? What is it called?! Tell me everything!” I begged.

“That’s going to have to wait. Aren’t we supposed to be at some kind of orientation?” David wondered.

“Uh…” Jaune said.

“Uh…” I agreed.

And that’s how everything got started. I think it’s Yang’s turn to go from here! So, uh, have fun with her being narrator for a bit!


	2. I Burn

Dimension Travelers RWBY

Yang’s POV

I guess it’s my turn to narrate how everything went down. I’m really not looking forward to this. I did some…less than flattering things. But I know the truth will come out no matter what I try to hide, so there’s really no point to trying to hide it. So let me take you back to that fateful entrance ceremony, what seems like a lifetime ago.

* * *

I wasn’t surprised when Ruby skirted into the assembly hall just moments before the entrance ceremony began. Everyone else had already been there for almost 15 minutes, getting to know their new classmates. I’m just gonna come out and admit I don’t even remember half their names anymore, outside of our two teams and Cardin’s goons. What I was surprised by, however, was that she was in the company of not one, but two cute guys.

Cute guys… One was Trouble with a capital T and the other a goofball who had no idea who he was or what he wanted. Neither of them was even supposed to be at Beacon to begin with. Don’t tell Pyrrha I said this, but Jaune still has that dweeb-ish charm to him he had way back when. If the chips had fallen another way…

Jaune grew into a great man. He and Pyrrha have something special. I wouldn’t dream of coming between them. But even if I could have foreseen how Jaune would evolve, I likely would’ve been too preoccupied by the one standing beside him.

David… he has a talent for inspiring strong emotions in people. I hate him. Without his interference, I wouldn’t have known my best frenemy Neo. I love him. He helped bring my broken family back together. I’m jealous of him. He has a zest for life, even after everything he’s seen. I wish I could have that kind of fortitude.

Right, I’m getting sidetracked. This is supposed to be about the entrance ceremony. When I spotted my little sister, I naturally went over to see how she had survived my throwing her into the deep end.

“Hey, Ruby, who are your friends?” I asked, sauntering up to them and favoring the boys with a flirty look as I eyed them up.

“Yaaaang,” Ruby moaned at my antics as she clutched at her skirt in embarrassment. Jaune, for his part, just blushed and spluttered incoherently. You’d think a guy who grew up with so many sisters would have at least _some_ defense against a pretty girl. Although Pyrrha assures me the fact he can still go all blushy is one of her favorite things about him.

“Name’s David Thomas and this poor guy is Jaune Arc,” David introduced them both, his dark purple eyes meeting my lilac. I have to admit, between his name having no color connection I knew of and the fact his eyes went to mine instead of my tits, he intrigued me.

“I’m Yang Xiao Long,” I replied, placing a hand on my hip and nodding over towards Ruby, “Thanks for looking after my kid sister.”

“Oh, um, it was nothing,” Jaune was still blushing adorably as he dared not look directly at me. If I was feeling particularly egotistical, I might say that at that moment, my beauty was like that of the sun I was named after, rendering men who gazed upon me blind.

“Yang!” Ruby suddenly shouted and instead of the embarrassment I expected to hear, her voice was full of urgency has she grabbed me by the shoulders, “David’s weapon, I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT!”

“What do you mean you don’t understand it?! That’s your whole thing!” I shouted back at her, completely unaware that this was only the first in what was going to be a series of world shattering revelations taking place in the next few days. Sometimes I almost wish for that simple innocence back.

“I KNOW! IT’S REALLY WEIRDING ME OUT!” Ruby started shaking me. Growing up with Ruby had taught me a few valuable things. Stopping one of her freak outs was not one of those things. That had always been Dad’s specialty. Super Mom probably would’ve been amazing at it too, had Ruby been old enough before she went missing.

“Will you lunatics quiet down?!” Weiss yelled at us with her usual grace and decorum. I honestly don’t know how she picked up the ice queen moniker other than her name making it a good pun. Our little Weiss cream cone was and still is just as emotional as any of us.

“Ahh! Angry Heiress!” Ruby squeaked, flinching away from the glaring Schnee. As if Weiss was actually, truly angry in that moment. We wouldn’t learn what a furious Weiss looked and sounded like until later on. But for the moment, Ozpin stepped onto the stage and gave his welcoming speech to us unruly first years.

“I’ll…keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. Some will fail in this venture. Others will learn things beyond their wildest dreams. Yet as of this moment, you all share a single goal: To serve and protect the people of Remnant. I look upon you all and I see potential. Tragically, much of that potential will be wasted, squandered. But for a few of you, you will kindle that potential and use it to fuel you to greatness. It is up to you to take that first step,” With those ominous words, Ozpin stepped down. I almost didn’t hear Goodwitch dismiss us as I chewed on Ozpin’s words.

“He seemed kinda…off,” I noted to the others.

“You don’t get to be as old as him without picking up a few eccentricities,” David quipped. Boy, if I could go back in time, I’d smack him upside the head for that line. I’d say David knows a thing or two about going crazy with age, but I’m not convinced he was ever sane to begin with!

Anyway, we were led to the cafeteria by the teachers where we found a bunch of sleeping mats rolled out for us. The girls and boys were broken into smaller groups so they could go to the bathrooms and change into sleepwear in an ‘orderly fashion’. More fool them for thinking a bunch of 17 year olds could do anything ‘orderly’.

“Why can’t this day just end already?” Weiss groaned as she stared down Blake. Somehow the three of us had ended up in a changing group together and where Weiss’ glare was more of exasperation, Blake’s glare was much more cold fury.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Blake replied, the barest hint of a growl in her voice. I had no idea what was going on at the time and truthfully none of us knew the whole scope of each other’s situations. Blake thought Weiss was just some stuck up heiress who daddy spoiled with dirty money. Weiss thought Blake was just a ‘ruffian’ looking to pick a fight with her due to her name.

Regardless of what was going on under the surface, I knew a fight brewing when I saw one. A quick glance at the other girl in our group, Ashley something, told me she wasn’t about to get involved in the catfight. That left me on conflict resolution duty. So I got physically between the two girls before they could escalate.

“Girls, girls, you’re both beautiful, but can we not fight on our literal first day here?” I asked, taking a firm stance. I wasn’t about to get bowled over if one decided to get physical.

“Butt out!” Both girls snapped, but at least they were now glaring at me instead of each other.

“Sorry, no can do. I have a strong aversion to watching people kill each other in bathrooms. Strange thing to get hung up over, I know, but please bear with me,” I said jokingly, my most winning smile on my face. My words had more of an impact than I had intended, on Blake at least.

“I wasn’t going to kill her…” Blake murmured, looking away. I wonder what kind of face she made just then. If I had been paying more attention to her instead of dividing half of my focus onto Weiss, I might have noticed how serious her words were. Why wouldn’t they be? Blake had just walked away from everything she had known because of a certain someone threatening civilians and, for all her father’s sins; Weiss was still a civilian in her mind.

“Good, then get in a stall, Bubble Butt, and get changed. Angry Snow Leopard, you’ll get changed after Bubble Butt leaves. Am I clear?” I ordered, pointing Blake at the furthest stall. Have you ever been proud of yourself for something you said but didn’t realize it at the moment? Calling Weiss a snow leopard in front of Blake was a stroke of unintentional genius. You go past me!

“B-bubble butt?!” Blake blushed horribly, visibly taken aback. I’d make a joke about Blake never getting compliments like that before, but given what I know of her history, that might be a little close to home.

“What do you mean ‘Snow Leopard’?!” Weiss shrieked and her voice had a lot more indignation in it, her fists clenched at her sides.

“It’s not like I know either of your names, Snow Leopard,” I replied as I waved Blake off to the stall.

“My name is Weiss Schnee, not ‘Snow Leopard’!” Weiss exclaimed, her attempts at an angry face just coming across as an adorable pout.

“I don’t know, I think Snow Leopard suits you,” Blake’s voice was full of dry amusement and I didn’t need to see her face to know she was smirking as she closed the stall door.

“Oh, shut up Bubble Butt,” Weiss groused, but her tone was significantly less hostile as she folded her arms. As far as I was concerned, it was mission accomplished.

“Blake Belladonna,” Blake corrected and Weiss noticeably stiffened.

“Belladonna?” Weiss echoed. Like it had never left, the tension was back in the bathroom.

“It’s not the most uncommon name in the world,” Blake pointed out mildly. At least she didn’t try and outright lie but saying she wasn’t the daughter of the man who created the White Fang. A lie like that would’ve probably made things a lot worse down the line.

“Oh, right, sure, and I was born yesterday,” Weiss said coldly. The stall opened to reveal Blake in her sleepwear.

“Believe what you want,” Blake told her as she walked out of the bathroom, cutting off any further argument. Weiss, thankfully, chose not to pursue her and instead changed into her own sleepwear in record time before leaving me and Ashley a little shell shocked.

“What just happened?” Ashley wondered.

“I wish I knew,” I replied, totally ignorant myself at the time.

* * *

“You were gone for quite awhile,” Ruby noted as she doodled in her notepad. Yes, I know it isn’t doodling and Ruby would kill me if I didn’t clarify. She usually used her notepad as both journal and for writing down the latest upgrades that had popped into her head. Naturally, that second part included a lot of schematics drawings.

“There was just a little bit of drama, nothing major,” I assured her as I leaned to look over her shoulder. Even if I almost never understood what Ruby was jotting down, I still like being involved with her interests. There’s even been a time or two when my input has helped Ruby. This time she was drawing a strange key-shaped blade. The Keyblade was a weapon that would become the bane of her existence for a few months.

“Thinking of giving up Crescent Rose?” I asked teasingly, a wide grin on my face as Ruby turned over to glare at me.

“Ha ha, that was so funny I almost forgot to laugh. No, this is the impossible weapon I was yelling about earlier. I thought writing down what I saw and stuff would help, but I think my only option is to get answers from the horse’s mouth,” Ruby grumbled as she shut her notebook in disgust. It was certainly a novel experience for me to hear Ruby complain about something related to weapons or technology or the like. It’s become marginally more common in recent years, but the first time will always stick out in my memory.

“Hey, you seemed friendly with those two earlier. Maybe this’ll be your chance to go out and make new friends here at Beacon? Who knows, you might even end up on a team with one or both of them,” I said encouragingly as I lay down on the bedroll next to Ruby’s.

“But I want to be on your team,” Ruby replied in a small voice. I was torn between my two strongest sisterly instincts. One was to push Ruby out of the nest so she could fly on her own and the other to keep her close and safe. I’m sure this will come as a shock to no one, but keeping Ruby close and safe almost always won with me… sometimes to a smothering degree.

“Ruby, even if we’re on different teams it’s not like we’ll never see each other,” I said placating as I rolled onto my back to get ready to sleep.

“That’s not what I’m worried about Yang! I’m worried about sharing a dorm room with three strangers for four years! What if I say something dumb and they all hate me forever?!” Ruby asked with panic flaring in her voice. It really is incredible how much she grew up.

“Ruby, you’re a lot of things, but I don’t think ‘dumb’ is one of them,” I tried joking to distract her.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Ruby’s tone had gone from panicked to exasperated, which was good enough for me.

“Do I? I’m sorry I’m not as clever as my super genius baby sister,” I snickered as Ruby whacked me with a pillow.

“Good night, Yang!” Ruby huffed as she slipped her sleeping mask over her eyes and flopped down onto her bedroll. I smiled affectionately at Ruby before deciding to go to sleep myself.

* * *

The next day was the vaunted Beacon Initiation. There was nothing quite like getting thrown into a forest full of Grimm to prove your mettle. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

That morning we were woken up, took care of our morning routines in groups that thankfully did not lump Blake and Weiss together again, and ate breakfast. After breakfast, we were all taken to our assigned lockers where we retrieved our weapons.

Looking back, that morning in the locker room planted a lot of seeds for the next few months. Nora and Ren were being their usual adorable selves, Jaune was trying and failing to flirt with Weiss, Pyrrha was trying and failing to flirt with Jaune, Ruby was trying and succeeding in flirting with Crescent Rose, I was worrying over Ruby, and Blake and David were discussing literature in a corner.

For the sake of everyone’s dignity, I won’t disclose exactly how bad they were at flirting, nor the exact nature of the ‘literature’. I’m sure you fine folks can make some educated guesses. However, I will say this. To this day I maintain ‘Snow Leopard’ is a better nickname for Weiss than ‘Snow Angel’. Jaune, if you read this, I will fight you over this.

Anyway, Glynda eventually called all first years over the PA system to gather at Beacon Cliff. Once there, Ozpin clarified what we were expected to do, that being find the relics to the north of the forest and kill any creatures that got in our way. Once the relics were in hand, we were supposed to return to the top of the cliff.

The actual important detail was that, once we had all been launched, the first person we made eye contact with would be our partner for the next four years. Poor Ruby started freaking out when we learned that tidbit. To think any of us were worried about who our partners were going to be, given everything that happened. Perspective is certainly something.

“Are there any questions?” Ozpin asked at the end of his instruction. Jaune and David both raised their hands, but were promptly ignored, “Good! Now, take your positions.”

“Um, sir, I’ve got a question,” Jaune tried to speak up as the first of the students got catapulted into the air.

“I’ve got one too,” David, who was further up the queue than Jaune, told Ozpin, “There are an odd number of students.”

“A not unforeseen circumstance,” Ozpin replied neutrally, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. What David thought of this response he didn’t get a chance to say. His platform fired, sending him flying…directly into an invisible wall a few feet out from the cliff edge. Those of us still on the cliff watched in shock as he fell down like a bird that had just hit clear glass.

“MOTHERFUCKER!” Was the angry roar from the bottom of the cliff.

“Sounds like he’s fine,” Ozpin said nonchalantly. To this day that’s one thing about Ozpin that can really piss me off. He just acts so aloof all the time, like nothing can ever touch him. We’ve all seen him break down, so I don’t know why he insists on keeping up the act.

Well, whatever, seeing what happened to David, Jaune’s question about ‘landing strategies’ had been answered. We had to fend for ourselves and there were certainly no parachutes. Soon enough all the first year students had been launched and honestly, I was having a blast.

I was, am, and will always be a speed demon. So soaring through the air at high speeds and using Ember Celica to make me go even faster was absolutely my idea of a good time. Aside from David and Jaune, everyone else actually had some pretty cool landing maneuvers too. As much as I hate to admit it, Pyrrha’s plan of using that shield of hers, Akoúo, to meteor her way through a bunch of trees was cooler than my landing.

After landing, I spent a good ten minutes walking north and looking for a partner. What I found instead were a pair of Ursa. Getting a good look at them, I saw they were kinda runty looking. I could only assume Beacon’s staff kept the older and stronger Grimm out of the Emerald Forest as much as possible. An assumption I would soon learn was just me blowing hot air.

Deciding the two Grimm weren’t a threat, I thought I could play around with them in hopes the noise would bring someone to me. Ultimately, my plan worked. Unfortunately, Blake didn’t show up until after I noticed one of the Ursa had cut off a strand of hair and I kinda lost it. I killed one of the Ursa all on my own and Blake backstabbed the second for her kill with Gambol Shroud.

“Mind telling me what that was about?” Blake asked as the second Ursa started evaporating in death. I sighed as I felt my rage quickly bleeding out.

“I’m kinda sensitive about my hair,” I told her as I ran my fingers through my pride and joy to check for further damage. I was telling the truth. It wasn’t the whole truth, but Blake seemed willing to accept my answer.

“So, I guess we’re partners now,” Blake noted idly as we started walking north.

“I hope we can get along, bathrooms notwithstanding,” I said playfully, my hands clasped behind my head. To my satisfaction, I got Blake to smile.

“Yes, let’s keep clear of any troublesome bathrooms,” She snarked, getting a chuckle from me.

“Oh, uh, just so you know, I don’t know why your last name means so much to that Schnee girl and I won’t ask. I know what it’s like to have a…difficult family,” I offered, thinking of Raven. I was more than a little off the mark, but Blake took the kind words for what they were.

“Difficult family? I suppose that’s one way of looking at it,” She sighed, her ‘bow’ going flat and looking back with what I know now, I think she was referring to herself as the difficult one. How I was ever fooled by that bow when it drooped like that in time with her emotions is beyond me.

It didn’t take us except a minute or two after that to find the abandoned temple that had the ‘relics’. Those relics actually being chess pieces, of course, and there were only a three left. Blake and I were far from the first ones here. I said as much out loud.

“I would’ve been surprised if we were the first, but I wasn’t expecting us to almost be last,” Blake agreed as we surveyed the remaining pieces. Personally, I would’ve liked to take a queen, but since those were both gone, I decided on the next best thing; a knight.

“Hey Blake, how about a cute pony?” I asked teasingly as I waved the knight around. Blake rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.

“Sure,” She agreed and I pocketed it. Before we could start heading back to the cliff, we heard a very effeminate sounding scream of terror I would later learn belonged to Jaune.

Before Blake or I could decide to do anything, Ruby came falling from the sky. She then was met midair by Jaune who had been hurled by a Death Stalker and they both crashed into a nearby tree.

A moment later, Nora and Ren stumbled out of the woods right behind a dead Ursa that was at least twice the size of the ones Blake and I had dealt with. Nora, being Nora, wasted no time in seizing a rook and prancing about with it, declaring herself ‘queen of the castle’.

As if that weren’t enough, Pyrrha came bolting out of the trees with the Death Stalker hot on her heels. A Death Stalker that looked particularly old at that, I noted as Ruby and Nora came up beside me. I exploded.

“WOULD EVERYONE JUST CALM DOWN FOR TWO SECONDS BEFORE SOMETHING ELSE CRAZY HAPPENS?!” I yelled, my Semblance flaring and eyes going red.

“Yang Xiao Long, when was the last time you took your medicine?” Ruby asked, her eyes full of accusation as she pointed a damning finger at me. I wilted immediately.

Alright, confession time I guess. I have IED or Intermittent Explosive Disorder. After our Super Mom, Summer vanished; I was in a bad place. Hell, our whole family was in a bad place. At first everyone thought I was just a kid acting out in grief. Then I almost got me and Ruby killed when I was eight.

After that, I went to therapy and everyone thought it was gonna be hunky dory. For awhile it was, until I was eleven. Ruby had just started coming into her own as the super genius inventor, taking apart and remaking anything in the house if me or Dad weren’t watching her like a hawk.

One day I came home from school and found Ruby had taken apart an old toy of mine to build some kind of automaton. It wasn’t even one of my favorite toys or anything and until I saw it that day, I had completely forgotten it existed. That didn’t matter, in the end. I exploded. I smashed the thing Ruby had built and made her cry.

Initially I was diagnosed with bipolar, but over a year of observation later and my diagnosis was changed to IED. I was put on a prescription of antipsychotics and mood stabilizers and that seemed to do the trick. Unfortunately I was a selfish 13 year old brat and hated taking my medicine. I thought it made my Semblance weaker, so I raised unholy hell.

Somehow or another, Raven of all people got word of what was going on. One day, a few weeks after my 14th birthday, Raven just strolls up to our house in Patch like she fucking owns the place. She didn’t even bother to knock, like she had just gone out to buy a gallon of milk or something.

I won’t tell you what she said to me, not right now. Just know that she made damn sure I’d be diligent in taking my medicine until I shipped off to Beacon. She said after that I’d be an adult and it’d be my own problem. Honestly, I don’t know which is worse, a Raven that abandons her home, her family, and never looks back or a Raven who cares just enough to keep tabs on her kid and shows up to give one of the most hypocritical speeches I’ve heard in my life.

So I took my medicine like a good little girl for three years and got this idea in my head that I wouldn’t need it after I got to Beacon. Having two back to back explosions during initiation disabused me of that notion real quick, I’ll tell you that. That realization didn’t stop Ruby’s look of disappointment and betrayal from stinging me.

“Almost two weeks,” I admitted quietly, looking at the ground. I couldn’t look Ruby in the eye.

“Am I the only one who suddenly feels lost?” Blake wondered as she, Ren, and Nora shuffled about awkwardly.

“Dammit Yang!” Ruby shouted with frustration. When a potential outlet for that frustration presented itself in the form of the Death Stalker, my baby sister pounced on. Using her Semblance, she got to it before any of us could try and stop her trying to 1 v 1 an older Grimm. The scales were further tipped when the Nevermore Ruby and Weiss had flown here decided to join in and pinned Ruby by impaling her cloak with its feather storm attack.

“RUBY!” I cried out in terror as the Death Stalker’s tail came down to impale her. By some miracle, Weiss appeared to freeze the tail in place with a combination of her Semblance and Ice Dust.

“You are the most childish, immature, dim witted, and hyperactive girl I’ve ever know,” Weiss huffed, looking angrily at Ruby before sighing, “And I suppose I can be…somewhat abrasive. But regardless of that, we’re partners now, so I guess we’re going to have to learn to work together over the next four years. That means I can’t very well let you go get yourself killed, understand?”

Ruby mutely nodded while I caught her in a bone crushing hug, “I’m sorry! And don’t you ever do that again!” I apologized and rebuked in the same breath.

“Looks like I pulled a Yang,” Ruby said sheepishly, an impish smile on her face.

“Why won’t you and Dad let that die already?!” I cried. Oh, how I long for those more innocent times.

“Maybe if you hadn’t launched a one woman assault on a bar a couple of weeks ago?” Ruby shot back and as much as I hate to admit it, I still don’t have a comeback for that line. So instead I turned to Weiss.

“Thanks for having Ruby’s back,” I said to her with a grateful smile. Weiss scoffed.

“I can’t very well prove my superiority if I was weak enough to let my partner die in initiation,” Weiss replied in her best haughty rich girl impression.

“You know something, Snow Leopard, you’re alright,” I smirked as I took some of the wind out of her sails.

“I am never going to get rid of that nickname, am I?” Weiss sighed as her arms flopped to her side.

“Uh, guys, as great as this is, I don’t think that ice is gonna hold forever and that Nevermore is circling around,” Jaune pointed out and we all turned to look at the Nevermore.

“Right, let’s get our relics and get out of here. All we need to do is get to the cliff safely,” Ruby instructed and looking back, I can’t say enough how proud of her I was when she first started showing those embers of leadership.

Ruby and Jaune took the last two pieces, a knight and a rook respectively. That was about when David stumbled out of the forest all on his lonesome. At the time, I felt bad for the guy for getting screwed so hard at the start. I would later realize he’d mostly been taking the scenic route by choice, after someone who hates him and he hates in return decided to pull that hard air stunt on him.

“You all look like you’re having fun,” He said as he looked at the struggling Death Stalker and the approaching Nevermore.

“Not the word I would use, but I’m not a bloodthirsty savage,” Blake countered smoothly as David walked towards the temple.

“You wound me, Belladonna! Just because I like my play a little rougher doesn’t mean…there are no more relics. That might be problematic,” David sighed.

“What’s the worse they can do, kick you out? Oh my gosh, they might kick you out! That would be so unfair! We all saw what happened at the launching platforms! They can’t kick you out!” Nora babbled worriedly, hopping about in her usual energetic way.

“Whatever happens, I’ll just have to deal with the hand Fate dealt me,” David shrugged as we started heading back towards the cliff. Little did we know he was being literal. That was about when we heard the ice start to crack around the Death Stalker’s tail and decided to pick up the pace.

It was just our bad luck that the Nevermore decided to get between us and the cliff, effectively sandwiching us between the two Grimm.

“Well that’s just great,” I grumbled as the Death Stalker came tearing through the trees behind us, “We need a new game plan!”

“One game plan, coming up!” David reported and charged the Death Stalker, jumping over its head before latching onto its tail and we could only stare in shock as he opened his mouth wide and took a big bite out of the Grimm. A few more bites followed until the tip of the tail was dangling uselessly by a thread of what passes for sinew in Grimm.

“ARE YOU INSANE?!” We all shouted as the Grimm shrieked in pain. For those not in the know, Grimm flesh is considered about as edible as arsenic. Sure enough, the lunatic flops off the Death Stalker and we were all sure he was dead.

The Death Stalker decided it wanted to make sure his suicide attempt was successful and brought down its pincers to try and smash him. Its pincers landed on nothing, as David had somehow slipped away at the last moment, clutching his stomach and looking ill.

“That may not have been my brightest idea. I’m never complaining about Akane’s cooking again,” He groaned piteously, but we were all in shock that he was even still alive.

“Were you intending to eat the whole thing?!” Weiss exclaimed as the Death Stalker started moving again, pushing us towards the Nevermore.

“That was the plan, yes,” David admitted as we dodged another feather storm from the Nevermore.

“Wow, and I thought _I_ was crazy,” Nora said in appreciation as she shot a few of her custom grenades with Magnhild at the Death Stalker to give us a little more breathing room. While Nora was doing that, Pyrrha and Ruby were trying to keep the Nevermore off our backs with their longer ranged weaponry.

“Can anyone see a way around the Nevermore?” Ren asked as David pulled out a bottle of something brown before downing it and perking up. I’d later learn it was a panacea to neutralize the poison of the Grimm flesh in his stomach.

“We might be able to outrun the Death Stalker now that it’s wounded, but that Nevermore is going to chase us down regardless and the further we run the more likely we are to run into more Grimm,” Pyrrha pointed out as she ducked from a stray feather.

“Looks like our only option is to fight. I say our best bet is to all turn and take out the Death Stalker before focusing on the Nevermore. Does that sound good to everyone?” Jaune asked. We all agreed with his plan, Jaune quickly laying out the specifics, and shifted from stalling tactics to all out offense, my favorite kind of offense.

I took point, using the shotgun function of Ember Celica to build speed for that extra oomph in my punch. The Death Stalker tried to guard, but I was strong enough to blow open its defenses. This let Nora immediately follow up with Magnhild in hammer form, catching the Death Stalker under the chin. Blake and Ruby were up next, using Crescent Rose and Gambol Shroud to cleave off both pincers.

The Nevermore chose that moment to interfere in our attack. Flying overhead, it started raining down the most concentrated feather storm yet. It was far too late to save the Death Stalker, but the thing was probably too stupid to realize that and there were far too many feathers for us to dodge.

Thankfully Weiss and David were on the case. With her Semblance and Ice Dust, Weiss created as much of an ice dome as she could manage and what she couldn’t protect us from David incinerated with what I believed to be Fire Dust at the time.

With the Death Stalker wide open, Pyrrha set Miló into its spear mode and using her Semblance to give it that extra thrust, stabbed the Death Stalker clean through one of its many eyes. To finish it off, Nora came back around to smash Milό deep into the Death Stalker’s head, killing it.

“Good work, everyone! Now we’ve gotta get that Nevermore out of the air!” Jaune instructed, “Ruby, how good of a shot are you?”

“It’d be an insult to my baby if I couldn’t even hit what I aimed at,” Ruby replied confidently, setting Crescent Rose to DMR mode and patting it gently.

“If you can hit an eye, it’s almost certain to come crashing down. Do you need a vantage point?” Jaune asked.

“A little extra height wouldn’t hurt and some cover would be appreciated, please and thank you!” Ruby answered, “I can set up on that tower,” Ruby pointed to the highest structure of the ruins.

“Pyrrha, Weiss, Ren, David, and I will get you there safely. Nora, Yang, and Blake, see if you can’t distract it,” Jaune ordered and Nora grew a wicked grin.

“Yang, how do you feel about becoming a living projectile?” Nora wondered and I felt a grin growing on my own face.

“I’m willing to try anything once!” I exclaimed and as the first group headed out for the tower, I hoped on the head of Magnhild and Nora threw me at the Nevermore. With as much force as I could muster without my Semblance charged up, I plowed into the Nevermore.

The birdlike Grimm reeled from impact and as I headed back down to earth, Blake was propelled upwards via the Nora Express. She was able to briefly ride the Nevermore and tried to slice into it, but its feathers were like plate armor, keeping her blades from doing real damage before she was dislodged.

The Nevermore launched another feather storm at the main group, but they had enough firepower to shoot all the feathers out of the air. Blake and I had another round with the thing before Ruby was finally in position. Naturally if she had just used her Semblance, she would’ve been up there almost instantly, but she also would’ve been terribly exposed as she lined up the shot.

A few moments later, Ruby’s shot rang out and her confidence was proven well founded when the Nevermore screeched in pain and the black mist that counted as blood for them began pouring out of its now missing eye. True to Jaune’s prediction, the Nevermore came down and without its aerial advantage the bird brain was fried chicken in no time.

* * *

We were all riding the after battle high as we turned in our relics to Ozpin. Not even the ever stoic Ren was safe from sporting a slight happy smile. Then life got in the way.

“So I have neither a partner nor a relic,” David informed the Headmaster.

“I know,” Ozpin replied, “This was not unexpected. It is not even unprecedented. I also feel it would be quite disingenuous of me to penalize you for things beyond your control, even more so after you all preformed so admirably. Run along to the auditorium and all will be taken care of.”

Even with his assurances, something about it all made me slightly uneasy. Much later I would learn Ozpin has specifically set things up so our year would have one odd duck student in the hope of this very outcome. Stuff like that really makes you stand back and appreciate how much of your life can be just out of your control. Still, that’s no reason to turn over like a dog and accept it.

Anyway, we headed to the auditorium and the teams were all announced, CRDL and JNPR being two of the last and two of the most important during our time and Beacon. Given all the other first years had been called up, there was no point denying it any longer.

“Looks like you got your wish, Rubes,” I whispered to Ruby as Pyrrha sent Jaune flying after it was revealed he was their team leader. Bless her, she was trying not to look too happy, but I saw right through her.

“Someone has to make sure you take your meds,” Ruby whispered back just before Blake, Weiss, Ruby, David, and I were all called up.

“Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, David Thomas, Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long… by collecting and in one case, escorting, the white knights, from this day forth you will be known as Team RWBY-D, Rose Dark, lead by Ruby Rose,” That announcement sent quite a few waves through both the student body and our newly formed team. As much as I wasn’t thrilled to be on the same team as Ruby, I was also very proud of her for being made leader and let her know it with a hug.

Blake’s a lot better at emotions and stuff than I am, so I’ll let her take over from here. There’s also someone else who somehow weaseled his way into telling his part of the story…

* * *

Roman Torchwick’s POV

I’m sure I need no introduction, but for those of you who’ve been living under a rock, the name’s Roman Torchwick and crime is my game. I’m also the best goddamn thief on Remnant; I don’t care what certain punks try to claim. But you’re here to hear all about my side of the story, the seedy underbelly of the war with Salem and eventually the brother gods.

While the so-called heroes were being assigned to their dorms, I was gazing out a window at the shattered moon, a lit cigar in my mouth. One of the faceless White Fang minions had just dropped off a delivery of Dust and I was contemplating our next move.

“Good evening, Mr. Torchwick,” Not expecting him, I started and fumbled my cigar. Needless to say I was in a very foul mood when I turned to see who had intruded.

People like to say your eyes can play tricks on you. When dealing with David Thomas, all your senses can be made liars, not that I knew that at the time. I just thought some cocky, Beacon age boy had somehow wandered into my warehouse. I grabbed Melodic Cudgel and aimed it at him.

“Look, kid, I don’t know how you got here or who you think you’re dealing with, but I suggest you leave before you end up in a shallow grave,” I threatened.

“You and I both know you’re not going to shoot what’s basically a flare gun in a warehouse full of volatile Dust,” He countered calmly and to make a point, leaned up against a crate of that very Dust.

“Alright kid, I’ll give it to you that you’re _slightly_ more clever than most. You get two minutes to explain yourself before I kick you out,” I said as I put down Melodic Cudgel and folded my arms.

“Well, I’ve been here for about two weeks and what kind of master thief would I be if I didn’t at least say ‘hello’ to the biggest game in town?” He asked rhetorically, a sardonic smile on his face I would quickly learn to hate.

“‘Master thief’? You’re 17, the only thing you’re a ‘master’ of is jerking off,” To my surprise, instead of getting angry at my jab, his smile turned genuine and he started chuckling.

“That was good, Roman!” I will never understand how he can be so easily amused.

“What are you really doing here? Did one of your little friends dare you or something?” I was quickly losing patience with his flippant attitude.

“I meant what I said. I’m here to say hello. I have enough people looking to put knives and worse in my back. I figure I might as well make friends where I can,” He shrugged.

“You expect me to believe that?” I frowned at him. Who wouldn’t think he was delusional?

“To believe or not believe, the choice is yours, but word on the street is you’ve been desperate for money recently. If I had to guess, I’d say it has something to do with your deathly ill sister in the back room. That’s something no one talks about when talking about starting a life of crime: The health insurance sucks. You can’t exactly go into see a regular doctor and those back alley doctors… they’ll keep your secrets and they’ll do a good job, but damn if they don’t charge you a king’s ransom for it,” He replied casually, as if I hadn’t been doing everything in my power to keep her sickness a secret. I had to fight to keep my composure.

“Who are you?” I ground out. I was sorely tempted to try and kick him out then and there, but I needed to know how he found out. I should’ve tried to kick him out.

“Name’s David Thomas and I’m not your enemy Roman. As a gesture of good faith, I’ll look over Neo and see if I can’t fix her up, free of charge. If you let me, of course,” After getting to know him, I strongly doubt he would’ve left Neo to die even if I had said no. He would’ve just come back later, self-righteous do-gooder that he is.

In the moment, I weight my options. He hadn’t been kidding when he said the docs charged you an arm and a leg. Given my position in the underworld, I was charged even more than that. I had tapped every resource available to me and Cinder’s money wasn’t coming fast enough. So in the end my only options were turning to crimes unbecoming someone of my stature or trusting a lunatic who somehow knew too much. My pride answered for me.

“Fine, you can see her. But if you pull anything funny I will make the rest of your very short existence a living hell,” I promised him as I dug the key to the back room out of my pocket.

“Duly noted,” He said, utterly unconcerned as he pushed off the crate and followed me.

I opened the door and stepped inside, David behind me. Neo was lying on her bed, the same place she’d been for the past week and a half. A month ago she had gotten sick with what we had thought was just the flu or some stomach bug. When a week had past and she was only getting worse, that’s when I knew it was serious.

Neo tilted her head slightly towards me and I knew even that was an effort. Her eyes drifted towards David.

“He says he might be able to help you,” I answered her unasked question. She didn’t exactly have the energy to sign anything and hadn’t for weeks. David was at her side in a moment.

“How long has she been sick?” He asked as he pulled some sort of handheld device out of his pocket.

“A month now, steadily getting worse the whole time,” I answered.

“Over the past, oh, five years have you noticed any changes to her diet? Eating more or less food, favoring saltier foods, things like that?” He asked as he held the device over Neo, sweeping her over with it.

“What kind of question is that?” I demanded to know.

“The kind that leads me into telling you your sister has a nasty tapeworm infection. Going off what I know, I’d say she’s had it for about five to seven years now,” He replied as he showed me the screen of his device. On it was an X-ray of what I could only assume were Neo’s intestines and there was certainly something in them that didn’t belong.

“Tapeworm?! This is Vale, not Menagerie!” I exclaimed in disbelief, “And why hasn’t she had symptoms before if she’s had them for years?!”

“To your first question, it doesn’t matter where you are, eating any kind of undercooked beef or pork or fish puts you at risk. Maybe you stopped at a hole-in-the-wall sushi place you shouldn’t have. To the second point, tapeworms can live for decades with almost impossible to detect impact on the host, but all it takes is one bad infection to send the house of cards falling,” David explained calmly.

“Well can you heal her?” I asked impatiently.

“Sure, simplicity itself,” He answered as he drew what looked like a long stick out of his pocket, “This is gonna feel weird, Neo,” He warned. Neo’s only response was a weak groan.

“What are you doing with that?” Rather than answer my question with words, he did so with action. Placing the tip on Neo’s abdomen, it glowed a gastly pale blue before he started withdrawing it and with it came a few long, white, flat _things._ They kept coming and coming until finally they were all out, the longest being about 8 meters by my estimation.

“Tapeworms,” He said simply to my horrified expression. A moment later he incinerated them, leaving not so much as ash behind. Cinder didn’t tell me shit, but I was able to figure out that half of what she claimed was her Semblance was something else. Now I had what could only be called magic being shoved in my face.

“Why are you doing this?” Was the only thing I could think to ask at the time. Every child on Remnant grew up on tales of the impossible things magic could do. The fact an apparent wizard was healing a criminal, even one as exceptional as my sister, was baffling to me.

“Like I said, I prefer making friends to making enemies. If you want a somewhat more selfish motivation to put your paranoia at ease, I’m a master thief. Sure I’ll clean out a corrupt business man, but there’s no honor, no challenge, no _fun_ in stealing from regular people. Matching wits with a master criminal, however? That’s my idea of a good time. If those criminals just so happen to be attractive enough to flirt with? Even better,” He smirked at me as he began digging in his pockets for something.

“Kid, you’re way out of your league and too young besides,” I shook my head at what I thought was him being facetious. I would learn all too soon he was serious.

“Haven’t you heard that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover? I did just pull those tapeworms out of Neo with magic. Are you sure you want to be making assumptions about my age?” He laughed as he turned back to Neo to cast more magic on her and feed her something or other from his pocket. For the first time in far too long, her cheeks gained some color to them.

“Then how old are you?” I asked sarcastically. As soon as I finished my sentence, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became oppressive. Cinder on her best day wishes she could make an aura even a fraction as intimidating. The worst part? For as crushing as the feeling was, it didn’t feel hostile. It simply _was,_ as if my existence was too insignificant for it to even consider.

“I am 7,003,345 years old. I have watched stars spin into existence; I have borne witness to civilizations crumbling to dust. But for all my age, I’m a simple being. All I want is good food, great friends, a fun scrap every now and again, and love,” His aura vanished as if it had never been, “I’d like to be friends with both of you. If our relationships might evolve beyond that, well, only time will tell. For now, all Neo needs is a good night’s sleep and a big breakfast and she’ll be back to her usual self. Better, I dare say, given she won’t have that parasite draining her anymore. See you both on the flipside.”

And just like that, he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yang having IED? Neo and Roman possibly getting more screen time? Raven pretending to be a good mother and/or being even more of a bitch?! Oh what a tangled web we weave~


	3. From Shadows

Dimension Travelers RWBY: Reverse/Rebirth

Blake’s POV

I’d always wondered what it’d be like to write a book. I never expected it would end up being an autobiography of me, my friends, and select others. But life has a way of presenting you unexpected opportunities. So I suppose it’s my turn to narrate this autobiography. Very well, let’s start from all those years ago.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Team RWBY-D had just been formed not 10 minutes ago. As far as I was concerned at the time, things couldn’t have been worse. I was on the same team as a _Schnee_. Of course, those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. I’m sure Weiss was having similar thoughts about me at the time. I had all but admitted to being White Fang, after all, even if that was behind me.

Professor Goodwitch showed us to our dorm room. If she noticed my sour looks at Weiss or Weiss trying to kill Ruby with the power of her mind alone, she didn’t comment on it. I noticed that even Yang was looking apprehensive and it wasn’t hard to guess why. We both knew I wasn’t about to let Ruby’s comments on Yang skipping her meds slide.

The only one who seemed immune to the general aura of malcontent was David. Why wouldn’t he be? He was already scheming, both to distract us from our current problems and with Roman and Neo. David likes to claim he’s happiest when he’s helping people. I think he just loves watching a plan come together.

Once we were in our room, already furnished with five beds, Professor Goodwitch gave us our schedule and left. I was prepared for a long, awkward night. Fortunately things didn’t end up quite that bad and not for lack of trying on my part.

“Alright, looks like we’re gonna be working together for the foreseeable future, so how about a round of getting to know each other better?” David suggested as he claimed a bed. Seeing our general hesitance, he rolled his eyes, “Why don’t you kick us off, O fearless leader?”

“Oh, um, sure, I guess,” Ruby replied, looking and sounding anything but fearless, “My name is Ruby Rose, but sometimes I go by Ruby Xiao Long. Pleased to meet you all.”

“WHAT?!” Weiss and I exclaimed together.

“I knew she- you were young but…” Weiss breathed, likely trying to reconcile the fact she had called someone hailed as a genius an idiot multiple times. Given so many of Ruby’s inventions had found their way into the SDC’s hands, it was likely even more shocking.

“Yep, that’s me,” Ruby rubbed the back of her head, a slightly embarrassed flush on her face.

“Why? I mean, you’re still unbelievably reckless and your spatial awareness needs some serious work, but I called you an idiot _multiple times_! You reinvented how we refine Dust! Why didn’t you put me in my place?!” Weiss shrieked and that was my first hint that not all was well in the Schnee household. After all, what kind of pampered princess _expects_ to be ‘put in her place’?

“I would never do something like that!” Ruby protested vehemently, her eyes wide in shock at the implication she would ever use her status against someone else.

“Why not?!” Weiss demanded to know.

“Because it’s wrong!” Came the reply from our resident ‘Simple Soul’.

“She’s got a point, as basic as it is,” David threw in his two lien.

“My baby sister isn’t some kind of egotistical tyrant,” Yang remarked as she claimed her own bed.

Weiss, detecting she was saying something we all thought was outrageous but not knowing why we thought so, decided to drop it for the moment.

“Well, since Ruby went first, I guess it’s up to me to go second,” Yang declared, “Name’s Yang Xiao Long, as Ruby so helpfully informed you during initiation. Technically we’re half-sisters, but fuck that noise. We’re sisters, end of story. I have Intermittent Explosive Disorder, which means sometimes I get really, really angry for no good reason. Lastly, my Mom abandoned me and my Dad when I was a baby. I intend to hunt her down and make her pay for it.”

“Your Mom abandoned you?!” I was horrified. I had only ever known my own Mom and the idea of a mother abandoning their daughter just seemed so alien to me. Heh…alien…

“I know how that feels…” Weiss whispered, but not quietly enough. We all turned to her expectantly. Weiss flushed at realizing she’d been heard, “My Mom never left us, at least not physically. But she’s so far in the bottle most days she might as well not be there at all.”

“And my Mom is MIA, presumed killed,” Ruby added, looking down sadly.

“Both my parents are dead, gone, and good riddance,” David informed us with a shocking amount of frozen venom in his voice. To this day, I’ve never heard him refer to anyone, not even his supposed arch nemesis, Lady Fate, with such hatred and loathing as he uses with his parents.

I suddenly felt strangely out of place. My parents had always loved and supported me and will always do so. Even when I was sure they hated me after our big fight when I left to join up with the new White Fang, they loved me unconditionally. Even Ruby, who had the least awful relationship with her mother… well, ‘MIA, presumed killed’ isn’t KIA. That tiny seed of hope, no matter how outlandish, refused to die in her. Team RWBY-D had some pretty shitty parents all around, except mine. Taiyang, too, I suppose, even if Yang’s still not quite forgiven him for shutting down after Summer went MIA.

“What about you, Blake? Any parental horror stories?” Yang asked flippantly, setting herself cross legged on her bed.

“My parents are painfully average,” I replied as I claimed my own bed. Weiss scoffed, “For my father being the man who founded the original White Fang, happy, Schnee?!”

“Not particularly,” Weiss replied sourly, taking the last bed, “I’m on the same team as a White Fang member. An organization, I remind you, that has a history of killing Schnees!”

“Former White Fang. Shockingly, I didn’t want to be party to murder,” I corrected with an acidic tone.

“Are you allowed to do that? Aren’t the White Fang a cult these days?” Yang asked. I grimaced at the harsh reminder that I was no longer wearing my rose tinted glasses. I swallowed thickly.

“That is not…entirely inaccurate. I have some protection from being my father’s daughter and Sienna hasn’t completely lost her mind but…there are some more…extreme elements that want nothing more than to see me die a traitor’s death,” I replied, my eyes closed. Even to this day I can’t help but look back at the moment I decided to run from the White Fang and wonder if I could have done something different. It was some insane hope that if I had said the right words or done the right things then some of the people I had once called ‘family’ wouldn’t have gone down such a dark road.

“So we’re a fun bunch. We’ve got the princess of tech, the princess of the White Fang, the Schnee princess, and the bandit princess,” Yang joked dryly, “What about you, David, you the prince of anything?”

“Bandit princess?” Weiss asked Yang before David had a chance to respond.

“My Mom’s name is Raven _Branwen,_ ” Yang replied, an undertone of bitterness in her voice.

“Of the Branwen Tribe?!” Weiss and I both exclaimed in shock. The Branwen Tribe had been terrorizing Anima for about 200 years at that point. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with history and current events knew of them.

“Unfortunately,” Yang sighed, but quickly perked up as her attention turned back to David, “So spill. As the only D in RWBY-D, there’s gotta be something wild about you!”

“Belladonna has a D as well,” He replied with a Cheshire grin. The innuendo, mercifully, flew right over Weiss and Ruby’s heads. I blushed horribly while Yang cackled with mirth.

“I would have never guessed!” Yang cried between her laughter.

“You are both awful and I hate you,” I said in my best deadpan.

“I don’t get it, what’s the joke?” Ruby openly declared her innocent, unsullied mind.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” Yang’s big sister instincts kicked in, the last of her amusement dying down.

“But you always say that! I’m 15 and attending Beacon!” Ruby unleashed her weapons grade pout. I almost explained the lewd joke then and there. I would quickly realize I had no defense against Ruby’s supernatural levels of adorable. Unfortunately for me, Ruby would soon come to learn this fact as well.

“I’m with Ruby; what’s so funny about the letter D?” Weiss asked blankly, the heiress’ head cocked to one side like a confused animal.

“Oh, you sweet summer child,” David said with teasing affection. Despite never hearing that turn of phrase before, myself, Yang, and even Ruby could pick up its meaning. The more literal minded Weiss once again had David’s words fly over her.

“I was born in May?” Weiss replied blankly.

“He’s saying you’re naïve,” I clarified for her. Weiss’ face immediately scrunched up and she glared at David.

“I may not be as…worldly as some, but that doesn’t mean you can just go around calling me naïve!” Weiss protested.

“I apologize for the phrase, but not the implication. You know the harshness of winter better than most, Weiss Schnee. It was wrong of me to make light of that fact,” David replied and now our positions were reversed. To Weiss his words were crystal clear but the rest of us were baffled.

“Who are you?” Weiss asked with a tremor in her voice.

“Right, time to formally introduce myself,” He brushed himself down and moved himself to sit with his legs under him, “My name is David William Thomas, Patriarch of the 13th Clan of the Galifonian People. Or Matriarch, if the mood strikes me. If that name is unfamiliar to you, it should be. After all, I doubt any of you have had contact with other aliens.”

“ALIEN?!” The room exploded in disbelief.

“Get outta town, if you’re gonna make something up, at least make it believable!” Yang exclaimed.

“I don’t know Yang…it might explain his weapon…” Ruby said hesitantly, wringing her hands. He obligingly summoned it to his hand, further shocking Yang, Weiss, and I.

“Technically Keyblades were forged by a Human, but it is a physical reflection of my Soul and the Humans in question are from an alternate dimension, so might as well be alien,” He shrugged as he dismissed the weapon.

“You’re more human looking than I expected an alien to look like,” I commented, still not sure if I fully believed him.

“Remnant alone has two bipedal humanoid sapient species: Humans and Faunus. Point of fact, bipedal humanoid is probably the most successful body type in all reality. Vulcans, Gallifreyans, Asari, Elves, and Kryptonians just to name five examples from five different dimensions and aside from the Asari, you’d be pretty hard pressed to tell any of them weren’t Human just from a glance,” He rattled off, counting each species off on a finger in rapid succession.

“So what exactly makes you different from us, Mr. Alien?” Weiss asked with a trace of sarcasm in her voice. I couldn’t exactly blame her either, as he was making quite an outlandish claim. The way his face lit up mischievously told me he had been waiting for this question.

“Four lungs, two hearts with semi-independent cardiovascular systems, a couple of extra ribs, and a few other miscellaneous things on the purely physical spectrum…oh, and one more thing,” His grin turned wicked and suddenly where he had been sitting was a perfect copy of one Ruby Rose, “My species are shapeshifters.”

It should come as no surprise that our room exploded with shouts of shock. Point made, David resumed his previous form while waiting for us to pick up the pieces of our shattered reality.

“Can you turn into anyone?!” Yang demanded to know.

“So long as it’s organic, I can swing it. I’m also not bound by copying someone else. I’m even old enough at this point to know how to mimic most inorganic things. With one notable exception… I can transform into a swarm of nanomachines but I hate doing that. Not only do I have to stay that way for at least five months, but I’m…less me when I’m like that. But it’s also my most powerful form, so I don’t always have much of a choice. Give me a techno-organic species like the Mechamorphs any day of the week,” He shuddered.

“Did you say ‘techno-organic’?” Ruby was practically drooling, “Show me!”

“Ruby! Don’t be rude! …Is that rude?” Yang asked. None of had expected to be taking a crash course in alien etiquette.

“A ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ never hurt anyone,” He chuckled, “But otherwise I very much enjoy showing off what I can do to others,” To demonstrate his point, he became a black and green semi-humanoid looking being. Ruby promptly screamed.

“YOU’RE PERFECT!” She yelled and using her Semblance to move from her bed to David’s as fast as possible. Her hands were all over him as what I would later learn was her technopathic talents were absorbing as much knowledge as she could handle.

“You’re such a flatterer, Ms. Rose,” David’s voice replied cheekily, a green ring in what looked to be his head flickering in time with his words. Ruby was too enraptured to even register the words.

“So, uh, you mentioned you were a patriarch…or matriarch. Does that imply the same things to you as it does to us?” Weiss asked as Ruby went off.

“That’s why I chose those words, yes. I’ve been both a father and a mother. My great grandfather was the last of our Clan, then I came along and inherited the title from him and we’ve both been trying to rebuild the Clan since,” He replied easily. I got the oddest feeling he was directing the conversation. A feeling I would later learn was almost certainly correct. David very much liked teaching and guiding people to asking the right questions. Almost like Ozpin without the crippling conspiracy addiction, now that I think about it.

“Your great grandfather is helping you rebuild _how_?” Weiss asked with an arched eyebrow.

“First, shapeshifter,” To emphasize, he changed into a lithe middle aged looking woman with long green hair tied into a loose ponytail and wearing a lab coat. I would later come to learn this was one of her custom forms she liked to call Natsuki. Ruby made a pitiful noise of disappointment as living metal became plain old flesh again, “We can appear to be any age we desire. Second, my great grandfather is still a spritely young man of 3.5 billion years.”

“I’m sorry, I must have misheard you. Did you just say 3.5 _billion_?!” I exclaimed.

“I know, right? I’m still only a little over 7 million. Although, granted, I’ve been thrown in a lot of shit despite still being so young. I mean, most even twice my age haven’t even seen a Racnoss and I’ve had to deal with two of the soulless monsters!” She exclaimed, giving us zero context and thus begging the next question.

“What’s a Racnoss?” Ruby asked and Natsuki snapped her fingers. An illusion appeared of a small red thing that was bottom half spider and top half humanoid.

“This is a scaled down version of a Racnoss. Ugly bastards, aren’t they? Unfortunately, they’re every bit as clever as they are hideous. Long story short, they liked to engage in genocide, my species had a problem with that, we went to war some 8 trillion years ago, Multidimensional Standard Years, and two weeks after the peace treaties were signed, they dropped a bio-weapon on our home world, making it utterly unlivable and killing everyone on it. Even after that, they still have a massive murder-boner for my specie,” She shook her head.

What does one even say after someone tells you their species was nearly wiped out? Sure, I’ll admit we probably had a somewhat closer frame of reference given the Grimm were a constant existential threat to both Humans and Faunus on Remnant, but we were still here. It wouldn’t be until much later we learned that life on Remnant had faced a similar extinction event a long time ago.

“That’s awful, more so than I can really express, but you’re also dodging the intent behind my original question,” Weiss finally spoke up, “Who are you and how do you seem to know what my home life is like?”

“You’re absolutely correct, I have been skirting around it. I wanted to give you some context and hopefully inoculate you to some of the crazy when I answer. The dimension I grew up in was one that’s generally referred to as a ‘Crossroads Dimension’. It’s an easy bridge between a number of other dimensions. This has certain…side effects on the inhabitants of these dimensions. To not get bogged down in technical jargon, certain individuals catch glimpses of the goings on of these other dimensions. This then inspires them to make fiction based on what they saw; believing these visions to be nothing more than their own inspired imagination…” She trailed off as our eyes widened in understanding.

“No way…” I breathed in existential dread.

“I’m afraid so. The adventures of Team RWBY are seen as an animated show. Mind you, it’s roughly PG, so nothing graphic, to the point that blood is almost unheard of. There are also some pretty major differences here, the infinite Multiverse being what it is. In the show, Ruby Rose is most certainly not a technopath/technomancer combo. So things were already divergent before I got here two weeks ago. This brings me to why I’m here in the first place…” She sighed.

“So you weren’t on some intergalactic vacation?” Yang asked, trying to inject a little bit of humor into the situation.

“Tragically not, as I haven’t had a vacation in nearly two thousand years. I’m most definitely here on work. I’m one of Death’s Lieutenants-” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, all four of us were hugging the opposite wall, “Oh relax you sissies, I’m not here to reap the sinners or anything. Lady Life would make all of us suffer unimaginable anguish if Lord Death started approving us killing willy nilly. Besides, that’s mostly my side job. My actual job is…well, if I’m feeling charitable I’d call it ‘Multidimensional Disaster Prevention’. Most of the time I’m just a glorified janitor.”

“And what does that entail, exactly?” Weiss asked, all of us still against the wall.

“It basically means there’s an issue that the local forces can’t solve. There’s an issue big enough that, if left alone, threatens not just Remnant, but potentially the entirety of the local Multiverse. Unfortunately, to make sure things don’t go from bad to worse, there are certain restrictions and guidelines I have to follow unless things are already FUBAR,” She told us, her face making it clear she wasn’t a fan of at least a few of these ‘restrictions and guidelines’.

“So what’s this looming disaster?” Yang asked.

“As far as I can tell, someone’s getting too big for their britches. To put it in terms you’d understand someone is siphoning power from critical systems. Who’s doing it and for what purpose, I tragically don’t know. What I do know is that if they aren’t stopped then-”

“Our dimension could potentially shut down? Like a computer with the plug pulled?” Ruby asked with a tremor of fear in her voice.

“Yes,” There was no sugarcoating, no trying to dance around the issue. The alien that was our teammate just looked us in the eyes and told us point blank that everything we had ever known and cared about was in peril.

“Why are you telling us this?” I asked, “Why not go off and find them and stop them? Why bother with Beacon at all?”

“There are a host of reasons, but I’ll share the three of the most pertinent. First, there’s a reason the show focused on alternate versions of you four. You’ve all got a bad case of ‘Main Character Syndrome’ and by tagging along with you I’ll find out something sooner or later. Second, I’m just a janitor and a temporary one at that. It would be disgustingly negligent of me to, if not make sure someone can hold the line after I’m gone, at least keep things together long enough to get in contact with me or one of my friends or family. Thirdly, even if I wasn’t forced to operate without full knowledge of the events of the show, given the fact that there are already so many major divergences, the knowledge I got to keep is all but worthless. Again, with your ‘Main Character Syndrome’, sticking with you four means I’ll have a finger on the pulse of what’s going on here on Remnant. Of course, this isn’t my first rodeo and I won’t force you to put up with me if you don’t want to. Say the word and I’m gone,” She offered.

“You aren’t going anywhere,” Yang said with surprising firmness, “I don’t know about Blake and Weiss here, but one of the reasons I decided to be a huntress was to protect people from people like my Mom. I’m not about to back down just because the difficulty got kicked up a few notches!”

“I agree with Yang…and I’d also never forgive myself if I let a chance like you pass me by,” Ruby gripped the hem of her skirt, her face down to try and hide her embarrassment.

“Aw, does my baby sister have a crush?” Yang grew a wide grin as she teased her younger sibling.

“Shut up Yang! I just like his…her…er..?” Ruby looked to her for help with pronouns.

“Just use pronouns that match my physical sex. It’s easier for everyone involved,” She replied.

“Right… I just like her technology!” Ruby returned to her protest.

“If it puts your mind at ease, Yang, Ruby’s also a smidge young for me. No dating until they’re 16, no bedroom stuff until they’re a legal adult,” Natsuki’s words got Ruby to blush horribly while Yang’s teasing grin turned predatory.

“Does that mean you’re single?” She waggled her eyebrows.

“Yaaaang!” Ruby moaned.

“If you must know, my species handles courtship differently from Humans and Faunus. We don’t have a marriage equivalent, for starters. We have Life Mates, which is the closest thing and the connotations are pretty different. Also we’re polyamorous, both naturally and by necessity,” Natsuki replied, mild amusement on her face. That seemed to catch the boisterous blonde off guard.

“What, are you serious?” Yang asked, her eyebrows climbing into her hairline.

“Very much so and I find it amusing that something as mundane as a species practicing polyamory is what gets you to really do a double take. Not so much the shapeshifting, or the agelessness, but our preferences in how we conduct our romances. I can’t help but wonder if that isn’t telling~” Natsuki giggled evilly.

“…I changed my mind. Out! Get out!” Yang huffed, moving over to physically shove the now fully laughing woman.

“I’m in,” I said over the noise Yang and Natsuki were making and climbed back onto my bed, “I’d never be able to forgive myself if I knew my parents were in some kind of danger and didn’t do something to help.”

“I hope you all realize this is absolutely insane. We’re trusting some random alien that our entire world is in danger and agreeing to follow them into said danger when we don’t even really know them,” Weiss said with her arms folded, trying to be a voice of reason by playing devil’s advocate.

“What can I do to prove my sincerity to you, Weiss? If it is within my power, I’ll do it,” Natsuki said, her utter seriousness painted on her face as she stared at Weiss. Weiss looked away, unable to meet her intense gaze.

“As far as I can tell, you’ve been honest with us all night. Besides, it’s better to prepare and not need it than need it and not be prepared. I suppose time will just have to tell if you’re a con artist or not,” Weiss sighed, moving over to her own bed.

“I have been many things in my life, including a master thief and a con artist. I can’t promise to tell you everything. I know some secrets that have to be taken with me to my grave. However, I will promise to tell you what I can and to tell you plainly what I cannot discuss and even give a reason if I can. I know all too well the sort of trouble keeping secrets from your friends and allies can bring,” Natsuki replied, her eyes closing as she relived memories of ages long passed.

“You confessing to being a thief and scammer shouldn’t comfort me, but somehow it does,” Weiss grumbled.

“Er, I hope this isn’t rude to ask, but what’s your ‘true form’, assuming you even have one?” Ruby asked as the last one to return to sitting on her bed.

“Shapeshifting species general fall into two different categories as far as that goes. There are those that can’t shapeshift until they reach a certain age and those who are able to do so right out of the womb or egg or what have you. My species fall into the latter, but we also have a caveat where, until we train ourselves, we only have access to a limited number of forms. I was born to human parents and due to certain circumstances; I ended up spending most of my early formative years in the male form you saw earlier. I still sometimes get teased for being a Galifonian with a ‘base form’,” She admitted sheepishly, her hand rubbing her neck and a dorky grin on her face.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ruby apologized, looking down.

“Never apologize to me for seeking knowledge, Ruby. As I said, I’m only ever _teased_ for it, not insulted. I am blessed with understanding friends and loving family,” Natsuki assured kindly.

“Speaking of friends and…family, have you known alternate versions of us?” I asked, not sure if I wanted the answer but not sure I could live without it.

“Nope, this is my first time on a version of Remnant! Completely new faces, new friends, new challenges, new everything! I’m quite excited, truth be told! I haven’t gotten assigned to a new variety of dimension in almost 12,000 years!” She exclaimed with giddy joy, physically bouncing with positive energy. It was odd to hear her casually drop incomprehensible lengths of time as if they were comparable to months. It’s something I’m still not completely used to.

In any case, I was strangely comforted to know I was the first me she had met. And if that isn’t a confusing sentence out of context, I don’t know what is. It meant she hadn’t known someone who was so close to being me, but not quite me. That she hadn’t fallen in love and started a family with a stranger and a sister who wore my face. Nothing like contemplating the nature of the Multiverse to get you started on an existential crisis.

“We might want to get ready for bed, seeing how we have classes tomorrow. I’ll just step out while you four get changed,” Natsuki moved to leave.

“You don’t have to go,” Yang tried to say, but the uncertainty in her voice was plain to hear. Natsuki turned to smile at her.

“It’s fine. I literally just confessed to spending my first years exclusively male. You don’t even know which way I swing, so if you’re worried about wandering eyes, that’s perfectly reasonable,” Natsuki assured as she became he once more, back in his David form, only this time wearing an old t-shirt and shorts.

“Then what way do you swing?!” Yang demanded to know, clearly feeling obstinate.

“Pansexual, preference for females and the four of you are absolutely my type. So I’m gonna step outside, if for no other reason than Ruby’s underage. I have to at least pretend to set a good example,” With those words, he closed the door behind him.

“Things aren’t going to start making sense again for awhile, are they?” Ruby wondered with a sigh before getting started on digging her sleepwear out of her suitcase.

“Considering we just got proof of extraterrestrial life, I’d say that’s quite likely,” Weiss grumbled as she followed Ruby’s example.

“That doesn’t explain why I suddenly feel like a damn hypocrite,” Yang said sourly as she slammed her suitcase onto her bed with more force than necessary.

“I’m going to make an assumption and say it’s the same reason I’m feeling a little guilty too. We’ve both maybe stolen a glance or two at some of the cuter girls in our school locker rooms. I don’t know. He’s a boy and she’s a girl and apparently millions of years old. I’m confused and don’t know what I should be feeling,” I admitted as I removed my top.

“Who said there’s a right way to feel?” Ruby pointed out as she pulled on her pajama bottoms.

“Fair enough,” I conceded and in a fit of boldness, I undid my bow. I could feel Weiss’ eyes staring at me, but she chose not to comment.

“So why wear that bow anyway, Blake?” Yang asked.

“I did mention I ran away from the White Fang. Unlike my mom, I have two sets of ears, so I kinda hoped I could pass as human by covering up my cat ears. Of course, it’s not exactly a bulletproof disguise. I didn’t even change my name. I just couldn’t bring myself to do more. Maybe a part of me hoped I would get caught,” I replied softly. There were a million and one things I could’ve done from dyeing my hair to changing my makeup, but I had just put on a silly little bow.

“Well, congratulations, my keen deductive mind has seen through your disguise,” Weiss said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “Would you like a cookie, Belladonna?”

“Weiss!” Ruby exclaimed, sounding scandalized.

“Depends…are you offering animal cookies, Schnee?” I shot back. Predictably, Yang instantly cracked up. The way Ruby’s face scrunched up as she tried desperately not to join her sister’s laughter was also adorable. She wasn’t completely successful.

“Alright, Belladonna, I admit that was somewhat clever,” Weiss said as she slow clapped.

“So happy to meet your standards, milady,” I replied with my own healthy dose of sarcasm. My word choice had an unintended side effect on Weiss. She suddenly looked ashamed. Her mind had cast back to my accusations a day ago.

“Please don’t call me that. I… I know my father is no saint. If you told me he had ordered a man killed, I wouldn’t be able to dismiss that claim out of hand. He treats me, my brother, and my sister like pawns in his political games. But he’s also the only parent I’ve known as more than an incoherent drunk. I don’t want to hate him. I’m just scared if I try to look deeper I’ll lose both my parents,” Weiss confessed, “In the end, I’m just a coward.”

“Bullshit!” Yang exclaimed while I was stunned, “I may wanna take a chunk outta my Mom’s hide and my Dad and I don’t always see eye to eye, but a kid hating their parents just isn’t healthy, no matter how much of a scumbag they are! You’re not a coward for not wanting that!”

“Take it from an actual coward, Schnee, you’re nothing of the sort,” I said when I finally found my tongue.

“Oh for fuck’s sakes, what makes you say _you’re_ a coward, Blake?” Yang demanded to know.

“Because I run from everything and I say the most awful, hurtful things I can think of to the people I supposedly care about,” I replied, so utterly sure at the time I was correct in my self-labeling. I can’t believe I was ever such a pretentious drama queen.

“Blake, I don’t have any context, but I can almost guarantee that saying things you don’t mean in the heat of the moment doesn’t make you as much of a coward as you seem to think. Ruby can attest I’ve said some pretty nasty things during an explosion. As for you running away, I can’t think that getting out of a murderous cult when you could can be called cowardly,” Yang tried to assure me.

“You’re right, you don’t have context,” I said frostily and moved to open the door for David. He stepped back inside to see our discontent faces.

“And here I thought we had been getting along when I left,” He noted dryly as he flopped onto his bed.

“It’s nothing, we’re just a team full of blockheads,” Yang grumbled.

“I call being the hexagon block!” David exclaimed.

“Wh- aw, no fair, I wanted to be the hexagon block!” Ruby put on an exaggerated pout.

“Your Semblance may let you move super fast, but I’m still the quickest draw in the west! Just call me Quick Draw McGraw!” He cackled melodramatically.

“Fine, I _guess_ I’ll be the _triangle block_ ,” Ruby said with such overblown distain that I couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“You goofballs can’t help yourselves, can you?” Weiss tried to sound exasperated, but she couldn’t quite manage it.

“Something, something, never go to bed mad,” David replied cheekily as he pulled up his covers, “Which means this is an excellent time to hit the hay! Goodnight, ladies!”

“Tomorrow morning before class we’re redecorating the room!” Ruby announced, “Be there or be _square_!”

“Good one, Ruby!” Yang congratulated as she too slipped under her covers.

“This is my life now,” Weiss probably intended to sound more upset than she actually ended up sounding as she lay down to sleep, “Good night, I suppose.”

And that’s the story of how I thought my life was over when I got put on a team with a Schnee, ended up learning I was on a team with a genius inventor and an alien, we all ended up spilling some of our guts, and I decided my life was, in fact, not over.

Weiss will take over from here. I imagine she has quite a lot to say about how our first day of classes turned out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing too terribly serious in this chapter. Except, you know, the portents of Doom. 
> 
> So I hope this chapter makes sense in the grand scheme of things. Weiss and Blake had their confrontation in the bathroom and with someone to help grease the wheels I don't think this is anything too shocking. I just hope the exposition bits are fit in as naturally as they can be. I also have to spend more time developing my OC because he's a complete unknown to most of you, but I'm also eternally worried about having the opposite problem of overexposure. 
> 
> This is the first time I've been so paranoid about releasing a chapter in a long time. I've been reading and rereading this thing in its complete form for 3 days now. I want it to be a decent Christmas present to my lovely readers. 
> 
> Also, Merry Christmas and/or generic winter holiday!


End file.
